P S Analytical Limited products

As most natural gas installations are built to order and have to meet particular requirements, the PSA Online Natural Gas systems are similarly specifically engineered to customer requirements for both measurement and control facilities for the measurement of mercury in natural gas. Mercury in Natural gas is of concern as it is both highly toxic with detrimental effects on the environment, and can cause potentially catastrophic damage to Natural gas and Petrochemical installations.

Knowledge of the total mercury content in volatile liquid hydrocarbons and condensates is extremely important for the following reasons: firstly mercury is highly toxic and is of environmental concern, and secondly it can cause damage to natural gas and petrochemical installations which can be financially crippling, especially when unscheduled shutdowns are forced. To avoid potential damage, many companies install mercury removal systems to ensure the important parts of the plant are protected. This means periodic measurements of the outlets of these removal systems need to be made to ensure they are operating correctly. The inlet concentrations also need to be checked to help calculate the expected life of the removal bed.

The P S Analytical range of mercury continuous emissions monitors (CEMs) is designed to handle all types of industrial and research applications. The CEM is based on modules (click here) which allow the systems be customised to specific user requirements. The majority of CEMs fall into three broad categories which can be summarised as general purpose, dedicated monitoring or compact instruments. It is estimated that over half the mercury emissions to the atmosphere are caused by anthropogenic activities. (Further information is available from the EPA website). The majority are caused by the burning of fossil fuels for power generation but significant amounts are also produced from waste incineration, crematorium and smelters.

Mercury in Ambient Air is now routinely measured in both urban and rural sites due to the toxicity and mobility of this element. In addition workplace air monitoring for mercury and cell room monitoring are essential to protect the health of the workers in the relevant industries. Mercury Analysers for these applications can be Online Mercury Monitoring Stations which are designed for fixed long periods of unattended operation, or Offline Analysers which are manually operated with traps exchanged on a daily to monthly basis and which allow flexible sampling points. The essential differences in these applications are the level of mercury expected, the sample collection time and the frequency of collection.

Elemental mercury (Hg0) has a significant vapour pressure, even at low temperatures the vapour can exist in workroom air. The Hg vapour present in the workroom may be breathed in together with the air and can cause harm or illness to workers.  The health effects that can be caused by inhaling mercury depend on how much mercury vapour you breathe in and how long you are exposed to the vapours.  Industries which use mercury for manufacturing / as part of a process are more at risk to mercury exposure. Some industries where mercury is used or may be present are included in the infographic above. Mercury use is not limited to these areas, and exist in many other industries, such as in dentistry, where mercury amalgams are commonly used.

The PSA 10.226 Online Mercury Analyser builds on our class leading ultra-sensitive atomic fluorescence technology. The system developed utilises syringe-based technology over the standard peristaltic pumps commonly used for sample analysis, reducing reagent consumption and allowing for on board sample preparation. This reduces the running cost of the instrument as well as the amount of waste the instrument produces. Representative grab samples are taken from a stream using the PSA sampling system. The sample is then pulled into the analyser via a syringe for analysis. The analyser can remove interfering sample matrices and may be used for a wide variety of aqueous samples; for example, wastewater, drinking water and sea water. PSA commonly encounters applications for effluent streams, in which an industry will attempt to reduce mercury concentration in production streams. Mercury monitoring is needed for these streams to ensure the mercury concentration is at an acceptable limit.

The PSA 10.225 system has been specifically designed for the determination of mercury in a wide range of samples from waste water and chemical processes. Many industries try to remove mercury from the chemicals they use or buy low mercury content raw materials. Mercury is found in both the production streams and the waste water flows from many chemical process streams such as incinerators, caustic soda and sulphuric acid production plants. Long term monitoring of these streams is therefore essential to ensure the mercury is at acceptable limits.

PSA are proud to present the 10.256 Online Excalibur, for the online analysis of hydride forming elements including: arsenic, selenium, antimony, tellurium and bismuth. The EPA classes the hydride forming elements as toxic and states they must be controlled in effluent streams – where high concentrations may have an adverse effect on health and wildlife in the surrounding area. The EPA have lowered the accepted concentrations of the toxic elements to low ppb (µg/L) levels. Other regulation bodies worldwide are also tightening their restrictions on effluent streams, creating a demand for highly sensitive instruments.

The 10.255 is an online analyser for hydride forming elements such as As, Se and Sb. Based on hydride generation atomic fluorscence spectrometry the systems offer part per trillion detection limits and linearity to ppm levels. The system is a single element analyser with high selectivity defined by the use of an element specific boosted discharge hollow cathode lamp.

The 10.547 has replaced its well-established and successful predecessor 10.537 offline sampling system.  The unit is semi-portable so it can be easily transported between sample points or moved to test different locations. It can also be installed on a permanent basis by mounting to a wall or free standing frame. It may also be put into a 19 inch rack cabinet for additional environment protection if needed. The sampling system can be used for any type of gas and it may be used in hazardous area locations. The unit contains Ex d components with ATEX and IECEx certifications, the system classification is Ex d IIC T3.